Ponette

Powerful and touching film portrayal of a four-year-old girl’s struggle to understand the meaning of death after she loses her mother in a car accident in which she herself is also injured. Following her mother’s funeral, Ponette is left by her father in the care of her aunt, where she and her two cousins are largely left to resolve their confusion and loss on their own. Told by her aunt about Jesus’ resurrection, Ponette patiently awaits her mother’s return, a reunion she dreams about incessantly. Related entirely from the perspective of the young girl, the film is dominated by the performance of Victorie Thivisol who won best actress at the 1996 Venice Film Festival for her role. Doillon’s success in entering the mind of a child grappling with the concept of death, stemmed from his writing and auditioning process. He established a workshop for four- and five-year-olds selected during a comprehensive audition process and worked for six months with the children, acting out scenarios and creating sketches, asking their opinions on a variety of subjects and adapting his script from their dialogue. This unique collaboration - giving the children a full range of expression - solidifies the film’s emotional base. In French with English subtitles.